1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate generally to speed control devices for watercraft, and more particularly, speed control devices configured to switch automatically between regular and cruise control modes.
2. Description of the Related Art
When driving a watercraft into or out of a marina, operators must drive at speeds lower than about five miles per hour. These areas are all often referred to as “No Wake Zones.” Operating a boat at such a low speed can be tiresome.
For example, watercraft that include throttle levers that are biased toward a closed position, such as those used on personal watercraft and some jet boats, require the operators to hold the throttle lever with their fingers or foot in a position so as to hold the throttle lever at a precise location so that the watercraft will move only at a slow speed. Thus, more recently, some small watercraft and other jet propelled watercraft have been provided with cruise control features.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-180861A discloses a jet propelled boat that has an automatic cruise control system. This cruise control system includes means for allowing an operator to set a watercraft speed or an engine speed to a predetermined value. This cruise control system also includes a switch for allowing the operator to cause the cruise control system to maintain a current speed or to allow a user to choose between a number of preset speeds. Further, the operator can operate the switch again or operate a separate switch for turning off the cruise control. After the cruise control is turned off, the control of the engine power output returns to a normal mode operation, e.g., the throttle valve is directly controlled by the operator.